Q&A: What is the application of VoIP and how can one use this device with the dial up internet access ?

Question by tesfay.yony: What is the application of VoIP and how can one use this device with the dial up internet access ?
Some one to use the VOIP, what requirements are needed
-hardware requirement
-software requirement
-ISP requirement
type of LAN and the internet type
Type of special skill

Best answer:

Answer by sHaDoW

VOIP (voice-over internet protocol) is a standard and not provided by any one company. There are a couple different major companies that provide VOIP service. They are Vonage, Skype, T-mobile, and many others. I personally use Vonage and absolutely love it. I was kind of concerned due to all the negative comments by people. The only issue was I couldn’t port my local landline number to Vonage. With some VOIP providers (Vonage does this) they provide you with hardware that allows you to plug in your existing phone and use that instead of using a computer. It is possible to plug this device into an existing telephone jack and “backfeed” into your phone system allowing all of the phones in your house to share the VOIP service (though make sure you physically disconnect from the phone company network interface before doing this, else bad things could result). With other VOIP providers you need to install their software on your computer and use a headset or a mic and external speakers.

As far as system requirements go, if you have a hardware VOIP device then there aren’t any since it operates independent of your PC. For software type check with the individual providers since requirements will vary.

I would recommend an absolute bare minimum internet speed of 384kbps download/128kbps upload. Although it might work with less speed, chances are if your using the internet and on the phone, you’ll experience choppy sound. Remember VOIP is real-time and requires an uninterrupted connection while in use. Basically you need some sort of broadband connection (cable, DSL, etc.). Dial-up or ISDN is out of the question. You can test your internet connection at:http://www.voip.com/speedtest.aspx .

The only other consideration is it won’t work if your broadband modem has one ethernet port and it’s connected directly to your computer. In that case you’ll need a router to allow the internet connection to be shared between your PC and VOIP device. There are some VOIP devices that have a router built-in.

As far as skill required, it not really that difficult. The hardware type device is a bit more difficult to setup; however, there are plenty of online resources and most companies will provide you with a setup kit that contains practically everything you’ll need, complete with instructions.

I hope this clears up any confusion!

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